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HOUSE OF WARIS
 He is 32 years old with long slender
fingers, neatly tied dastaar, short bushy open beard and a New York
hipness. He became a celebrity in the Sikh community after his last
role in the Hollywood flick, 'Inside Man' by Spike Lee. I saw the
movie after its DVD release and felt compelled to create a Sikhtoon.
I ran into him last April at the Vaisakhi parade in New York City in
the midst of thousands of Sikhs as he was carrying a langar plate
for his mother. I introduced myself and he recalled me from the
Sikhtoons. I got straight to the point. I wanted to know the man
behind the Hollywood actor and asked him for an interview. It took a
few months. Finally, we met at a small restaurant of his choice in
downtown Manhattan. This is the story of Waris Singh aka Waris
Ahluwalia, in his own words.
I was born in Amritsar. My father was a linguistics professor at
Guru Nanak Dev University. My mother had a Master's in Education
from the US and ran a school - she was a headmistress and teacher at
the same time. My father gave me the nickname Waris and my parents
never got around to giving me another name. So "Waris" stayed, and
literally became a legacy since my mother named the school "Waris
Public School" shortly thereafter.
My father had a burning desire to see America. So we moved to New
York when I was five years old. We first lived in Brooklyn, which
was an interesting choice since almost every other Sikh family was
living in Queens. Since there were no jobs for a Punjabi professor
in the US at the time, my father ended up working for the Census
Bureau.
I was the only Sikh kid in my elementary school, middle school and
high school. It created some interesting times. There were the
regular run-of- the-mill bullies who I had to deal with but I made
it through school without getting
 scarred. I was a very social kid.
I remember, in elementary school, my parents expressed their wish
for me to grow up to be doctor. I took my first Biology course in
Grade 9 and quickly decided medicine was not for me. In Grade 11 I
took a law class and my teacher told my mother I was a very eloquent
speaker and I should be a lawyer. I developed an interest in
politics and culture. My parents sent me to summer camps for
leadership training as well as to Sikh youth camps.
I wanted to get away from the city so I enrolled at a small liberal
arts college in upstate New York. I am not sure if it was the best
choice. I was the only Sikh in school and you could count all the
African-American and Asian students on the fingers of your hand.
Freshman year I only wore a patka to school, partly out of laziness
and partly out of perceived pressure that I felt people put on me
based on my looks. But I think my parents instilled in me enough
confidence to know who I am and defend my identity. I attended
parties, raves, and warehouse gatherings for entertainment. I never
drank alcohol or tried drugs although I was surrounded by people who
indulged in recreational drugs quite liberally. In sophomore year, I
started wearing my dastaar, off and on, but more often than not. I
had my parents' support and love; their faith in Sikhi was strong
enough to instill in me the concept about not being dependent or
attached to anything or anybody.
Academically, my first Political Science class in college was a
disaster as I slept through most of it. So that killed the Political
Science adventure. I had no professional direction in my college
years except my love for music. I did not play any instruments but I
loved music. A lot of musical groups were coming out of the UK. So
after 2 years in college, I spent a year abroad at the University of
Manchester. England was great from an identity perspective since
there were so many Sikhs. I started wearing my dastaar at all times.
My father passed away towards the end of my year abroad. I moved
back. After a semester at college in upstate New York, I transferred
to a college in New York City to be with my mother and take care of
her.
After college I went on two interviews, one of them for an
advertising firm. For the first and only time in my life, I dressed
up and gelled my beard. The guy interviewing me gave me a run-down
of the position and what I could do in five and ten years. The
thought going through my head was: "I do not want to be seeing your
face in ten years, let alone be with the company for that long." I
just needed a job.
Early on in my adulthood I knew I did not want to be working for
anyone else. So after attending the two interviews I decided to turn
to my first love, music. I always loved attending events and
gatherings with music and in college I had got interested in the
production side of these events. I went to work with a group of
people to produce musical events in Rhode Island and upstate New
York. So now, having graduated, I wanted to start a music magazine.
I approached the same people I had worked for in college, for
support and funding. I obtained the seed-money and hired an
editorial staff to start the magazine. I was running around like
crazy for a month and even got some companies to advertise in the
first issue of the magazine. But, after a month, I decided this was
not for me. I did not want to be working those crazy hours month
after month. So the music magazine which was titled 'Oscillate'
never took off.
My motto in life is to learn from experience. I do things and learn
from the process and as soon as the process gets boring I am on to
the next thing. After the magazine effort I went to work for an
internet start-up. That lasted for some time and then I decided to
change gears again. I got involved in an effort with a friend to
jump-start a non-profit organization to increase HIV/AIDS awareness
in South Asia. We made a lot of trips to India, specifically Bombay,
and worked on prevention efforts through educational campaigns. I
was involved in it for a year and a half.
By this time I was immersed in New York arts life, having lived in
this creative capital of the world for years. I started getting
involved in arts-based projects and ideas. I worked on a New York
Yearbook Project which was like a high school yearbook but about the
arts in New York. The project focused on the entire creative
production process and analyzed the role, for example, of all the
players that made a painting-exhibit possible.
I was trying to burst out of my shell. Trying to find my place in
the world. I had this guy in New York's jewelry district make some
rings for me. As soon as the rings were made I left the city. I do
not like the cold weather. I can't function in the cold weather
although I have lived most of my life in New York. I have some
friends who had moved to Los Angeles. So I started spending the
winter months in Southern California. I helped a friend open a
restaurant in Los Angeles. I worked with friends on other projects.
 While in Los Angeles, I happened to go to Maxfield's, one of the
most famous and lavish boutiques in the world. I noted that people
were literally afraid to walk into the store, given its lavish
surroundings and prices - clothes, jewelry and vintage items. The
place was frequented by Hollywood stars and as I walked around the
store the owners noticed my rings and placed an order for a supply
of rings to be delivered within a week. Each ring had a silver base
with an elaborate assortment of diamonds and was quite hefty.
The rings sold out. Before long, the fashion press started writing
about them. I needed a name for this new endeavor. I chose 'House Of
Waris'. I tired to learn about the entire process of jewelry-making
and spent time with big wigs in the jewelry industry and attended
jewelry conferences.
One day I was having dinner with Hollywood director Wes Anderson,
who was a friend. Over dinner, he asked me what I was doing for the
second half of the year. I said I had no big plans. He sent me the
script for his new movie and told me he had a part for me in the
movie. He did not even call me for an audition. So I took a break
from the jewelry business and headed to Italy for the shooting of
'Life Aquatic'.
My second night in Italy and I am having dinner with Bill Murray,
who leads the cast in the movie!
I spent five months on the project.
While in Italy, I found a workshop in Italy to resume my jewelry
work. House of Waris was back in action with jewelry coming out of
Italy. Later I started another workshop in Jaipur, India.
With House of Waris in full swing and getting regular media coverage
in fancy magazines and newspapers, one day I happened to get a call
from Spike Lee who had got my phone number from Hollywood actor
Willem Defoe, with whom I had become friends on the set of Life
Aquatic. Spike Lee wanted me to audition for an upcoming movie. I
went for my first ever audition and thought it went horribly. I was
called for a second audition since Spike Lee could not attend the
first one. Two hours later, Spike Lee calls me and tells me I got
the part. I was shocked. I am not even an actor and Spike Lee was
offering me a role in his upcoming movie, 'Inside Man', with Denzel
Washington!
I spent a few weeks on the shoot in New York. In between, I was
traveling from US to Europe and back, and then to India and back,
for the jewelry business. This was the hardest summer of my life. I
have never worked so hard.
I have been getting press for almost all my projects for the last
ten years but the Sikh community really got to know me through
'Inside Man'. I was getting e-mails from young Sikh kids from around
the country saying 'Thank You', which was amazing. I never intended
to be a role model since I never felt I fit into the regular or
normal mold, given the crazy journey I have taken in life. But it's
amazing nevertheless, imagine! to be considered a role model to
young Sikhs. I feel humble.
I already have my next Hollywood project lined up. I will be
spending the next few months in Darjeeling, India on Wes Anderson's
new movie, 'The Darjeeling Limited' starring Owen Wilson and Adrian
Brody.
To all young Sikhs, I can share a couple of things from my life
experience:
Follow your heart.
And, if you are not willing to take any risks, nothing is going to
happen.
(From an interview of Waris Singh Ahluwalia by Vishavjit Singh)
17 January, 2007
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